Rômulo praises inclusion of Alex Sandro

Scorer of Brazil's opening goal in victory over South Korea, Rômulo has praised the tactical switch that allowed him more freedom to get forward in attack.

Before the game at Old Trafford, there had been bewilderment in some circles at the inclusion of Porto defender Alex Sandro in midfield, with Hulk the man surprisingly left-out.

The move, though, paid dividends with the extra man in midfield freeing up Rômulo to open the scoring.

"Today, he anchored Sandro more in front of the back-four which game more freedom for me and Alex Sandro," Rômulo told reporters. "Thanks to God, I was able to follow the counter-attack and complete the move."

However, coach Mano Menezes still faced questions on the absence of Hulk from the starting line-up, but insisted it was purely a tactical switch.

Menezes said; "Hulk has been important and he is respected. He gave the team bigger status, but that does not mean I cannot mix the team. It was a question of tactics. I wanted a player with different characteristics and that's what i did in this game."

Brazil now face Mexico at Wembley on Saturday as they bid to win the country's first gold medal in the event.